Pakistan holds a slight advantage on the spin-friendly Premadasa pitch, where mystery spinner Usman Tariq has been unplayable so far. New Zealand's middle-order batters Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell will need to counter the threat. 'Tariq has a pretty unique action with the way he stops at the crease, so that's something to factor in,' Chapman acknowledged, while noting the teams' frequent T20I encounters.
Pakistan is unlikely to make significant changes after their strong Namibia performance, with spin duties shared by Tariq, Saim Ayub, Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan. Meanwhile, New Zealand hopes to have captain Mitchell Santner back after illness, as his left-arm spin could be crucial on these pitches.